‘I knew Obi couldn’t have won election,’ Wike hails tribunal verdict

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike has hailed the judgment of the Presidential election petition tribunal which affirmed President Bola Tinubu’s victory at the polls.

Speaking on Channels TV on Thursday, Wike said being a realist, he knew Obi couldn’t have won the election.

“I know that he won’t win the election. Let me tell you the truth, I am a realist,” the FCT minister said, explaining that he supported Tinubu rather than Obi or Atiku, who happened to be in the same party as himself (Wike).

“For me, the way the election went, it was a tough election. I give it to INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission),” he said.

Wike said sentiments aside, Obi couldn’t have won the election. “Yes, as a young man, people would have preferred that but look at how the votes went,” he said.

“There is this generational change, the young people were tired. So, for them, the only hope they had was to vote for Obi as a younger person compared to other candidates.

“But unknown to them, that is not the reality of Nigerian politics. They didn’t take into cognisance that ethnicity is a factor. They didn’t take into cognisance that religion is a factor, not only competence; that is the reality of Nigerian politics,” the ex-governor of Rivers State said.

While asking the former Anambra State governor to accept the verdict of the tribunal, Wike said in Obi’s eyes the judiciary was right when he (Obi) reclaimed his mandate as governor of Anambra State in 2007 but the judiciary was wrong when he lost at the presidential Tribunal on Wednesday.

“Did Peter Obi not win at the Supreme Court when he was removed as governor? Did he pay bribe? Let him tell the world now,” Wike said.

“When he was removed as a governor, did he not reclaim his mandate at the Supreme Court? Judiciary was right but now that the decision happened, judiciary is wrong.”